Comb protector



J. J- MAENDEL COMB PROTECTOR June 4, 1940.

Filed Nov. 2, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Invent-or @AWKAQMM J. J. MAENDEL I 2,203,438

COMB PROTECTOR Filed Ndv. 2, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l rw-enfor J, J. Maendel HT-roRNE Y Patented June 4, 1946 COMB PROTECTOR,

John J. Maendel, Itosedale Colony, Elie, Manitoba,

Canada Application November 2, 1938, Serial No. 238,468

5 Claims.

In the commercial operation of large apiaries,

machines known as extractors are used for the removal of the honey from the combs. The combs usually consist of a light wooden frame it; having a thin partition or foundation centrally covering the interior area of the frames. Upon either side of these foundations, the bees build pockets or honey cells of wax for the retention of the honey collected. In the extraction process, in the combs are removed from the hives, the cells are uncapped by a special uncapping tool and the combs are vertically placed in a circular row in the extractor and then rotated to force the honey from the cells by centrifugal force. It might be mentioned that, when the combs are removed from the hives, they are warm and, when full of honey, comparatively heavy. If a full comb is held horizontally, the foundation and attached cells visibly sag downward with the 20 weight. Accordingly, when the extractor is rotated a low speed is essential, at first, to prevent the cells, and foundation breaking away from the comb frame due to this weight. As the honey is removed and the combs become lighter the ma- 25 chine can be speeded up to remove the last vestiges clinging to the cells. Although great care is exercised by the operators to insure correct speeds, eventhe mostexperienced apiarist will often have broken combs. When such' comb breaking occurs a new foundation must be inserted into the frame and the bees have to rebuild new cells thereon with wax. As the bees make the wax from honey and it takes approximately five times as much honey to make a given \35 amount of wax, the efficiency of the apiary is tremendously reduced if much comb breaking occurs.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide an independent protector caging, formed by wire mesh frames, for each comb placed in the extractor to prevent the foundation and cells from bulging out and breaking in'the rotation of said combs.

A further object of the invention is to provide 45 means on the protectors, operated by the centrifugal pressure of the combs, to press the caging firmly against the cells with a pressure in direct relationto the Weight of the combs.

A further object of the invention 1s to construct the protectors such, that the combs can be nested therein, aligned in the machine or removed without requiring the operation of any fastening means. i I

A further object of the invention is to join a :55 plurality of protectors into banks or sections whereby they can be fastened together for alignment and retention in the extractor and also, to accommodate the correct number for various sizes of extractors.

A still further object of the invention is to construct the protectors in a simple and durable manner. in order that their manufacture will be inexpensive, and the sale price reasonable.

With the above important objects in view which will become more, apparent as the description it) proceeds, the invention consists essentially, in the arrangement and construction of parts hereinafter, more particularly described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is a partial vertical section through an extractor showing a protector and a comb in the inserted position.

Figure 2 is a partial horizontal sectional view taken on the line 2-2, Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a comb before the cells are formed on the foundation.

Figure 4 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the comb protectors.

Figure 5' is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken at the line 5-5, Figure 4.

Figure 6 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the caging pivot bars onthe protector.

Figure '7 is a diagrammatic view of the construction of a small extractor.

In the drawings, like character of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures,

An extractor is, generally indicated by the numeral I and comprises a vertical cylindrical casing 2 having a cone shaped bottom 3 therein. The central peak of the cone is provided with a bearing 4 which receives a vertical shaft 5, the upper end of which, is centred in a bearing 6 carried by a channel iron 1 which crosses the upper endof the casing 2. The upper end of the x shaft 5, above the bearing 6, is provided with a horizontal disk 8 which is adapted to be rotated by a frictional contact with a leather faced vertical disk 9 driven from a power shaft It, the v position of the said disk 9 in relation to the disk 8 being controlled by a bar I l, operated by a lever 12 on a quadrant l3.

An extractor drum I4 is carried by the shaft 5 and comprises a pair of upper and lower hubs i5 and I8, mounted on the shaft 5, and through suitable spokes l1, these hubs support and lower encircling angle irons l8 and [9. These latter angle irons support the edgesof an encircling vertical wire mesh screen 20 while a horizontal wire mesh screen 2| is carried by the lower spokes The inner horizontal edge of the angle iron I8 is notched therearound as at 2 to receive the outer vertical edges of honey combs 25,'best shown in Figure 3. The inner lower edges of the combs rest upon the ring 23 when being inserted in the extractor as ittilts thecombs into the notches 24. When the. extractor drum 'is' rotated the weight of the combs forces them outward and the lower edges thereof move off the'ring 23 and the combs take a vertical position outside of said ring. This is all standard construction.

Due to the fact that the centre portion or foundation 26 of the combs have'no protection, any sudden movement of the extractor drum, when the combs are fullof honey, is liable to cause the foundation to break away from the frames. This results in both the loss of the honey cells and ofxhoney. In order to prevent such losses the following described protector, shown in Figure 4, is employed.

A flat vertical bar 2? is adapted to be received in each of the notches 2 1. The lower end extends, belowthe bottom of the combs, is bent inward at a right angle to clear the extending por tion 28 of thecombs, is then bent upward at a slant and then again flattened to rest on the metal ring 22. with a channel shaped cross member 29 to receiveand align the inner lower edge of the comb.

' At the upper end and at anoint near the bot tom, the bar 27! is provided with a pair of upper and lower cross bars 36 and 3! which are provided, on eitherside, with inward horizontally turned lips 32 having a hole therethrough. These lips receive and pivot a pair of vertical wire mesh frames 33 and 34 having an outer edge of heavy wire with the ends passing through the hole's'in the lips. After passing through thelips the wires are bent inward at right angles to the frames so that they form cranks 35 for a purpose" later described.

In order to keep the protectors in position and to accommodate various sized extractors, a plurality of protectors (preferably five) are joined together and spaced apartby av horizontal bar 36 shapedto a fragment of a circle. This bar. is

fastened to the vertical bar 21 by a pair of rivets.

3'! and the ends are offset slightlyas at 38 and a hole bored therethrough. .In this way sections of live are formed. Whenbeing inserted in the extractor, the number of. sections required are fastened together by lapping the offset ends 38 of the horizontal bars 36 and passing a bolt through the holes. When the sections are all fastened they just fit and are held firmly within the encircling angle iron 18 and cannot escape while all the protectors are supported by said angle iron due to,;,the horizontalbars 36 resting thereon. 7

.It is then only'necessary to nest the honey combs within the protectors with the bottom of the combs resting in the channel cross members 29. When the extractor drum is rotated the combs are thrown outward centrifugal force and take a vertical positionagainst the vertical bars ill. The outer side of the comb frames press against the cranks tb, and this, in turn,

causesthe wire mesh frames 33 and 34 to press against the honey cells and prevent. them from bulging outward. The heavier. the combs the more pressure is exerted on the cranks witha corresponding increase in the protective -pres- The extreme inner. end is provided using the protectors for the small sure of the frames against-the cells. The honey various methods may be employed to'close the I wire mesh frames against the cells by centrifugal force. The cranks 35 might be positioned above the protectors and provided'with weighted balls or the cranks of one protector connected to r cranks of the next by coupling with a weight,.or

the frames 33 could be pivoted through holes in the horizontal flange of the encircling'angle irons l8 and).

The drawings shown in'Figure 7 indicates the construction used on small extractors. Upper and lower rings 4!] are supported by suitable upper and lower cross bars 4! which are rotatably mounted at the centre to form an extractor drum.

Vertical rectangular shaped 1 wire. mesh casing units M. are pivoted at 43 between the upper and lower cross bars and the honey combs are dropped down. into these units. It will be noticed that the casingv units are in planes concentric to the f centre of the extractor. drum so that one side of the combs will befacing outward and the other side inward. When the extractor drum is rotated, the honey is removed fromthe cells on said outer side by centrifugalforce. The machine is then stopped and the casing units are rotated on their pivot points in the extractordrum to bring the inner sides of the combs, which are still full of honey, to the outside. The drum is again rotated and the honey is removed from the full cells on such new outer sides. The dotted line extensions 44 of the vertical bars 2?, shown in Figure 4, are for the purpose of machines in place of the pivoted casing units. The horizontal bars 36 connecting the protectors are dispensed with. Thedotted extensions form the vertical bars 21 into inverted U shapes. The casing units areremoved andthe U bars 2'! are straddled down over the rings 40. Bolts (not shown) clamp said U shaped members to said rings. It will be noticed. that, in Figure '7, only four combs can be accommodated in the extractor due to the space'required for rotation of the casing units. Byusing the protectors on the great care had to be exercised in order that the extractors would not break the combs due to the speed. The slowly increasing speed system meant that possibly forty minutes was required to remove. all the honey. By usingth'ese new wire mesh protectors, the extractors can be run.

safetly at high speeds and all the honey can be extracted from the rotating combs in about. ten

minutes without a single breakage.

What I claimas' my invention is: 1. In an'extractor machine. having a rotatably mounted frame for; radially supporting honey combs and centrifugally removing the honey I l and each having a pair of perforated members der the centrifugal pressure of said combs in the therefrom in the operation of said machine: means for preventing comb breakage therein comprising; pairs of perforated members for each honey comb in said extractor machine;

said members supported on said frame and mounted for movement in and away from the cell sides of said honey combs; and means for pressing said members against said comb sides under the action of the centrifugal force produced in the extraction operation.

2. In an extractor machine having a rotatably mounted frame for radially supporting honey combs and centrifugally removing the honey therefrom in the operation of said machine: a

standard for each comb in said extractor machine; said standards supported on said frame and each having a pair of perforated members mounted thereon for movement in and away from the cell sides of the corresponding comb; and means carried by said standards and operated by the centrifugal pressure produced in. said extractor machine for pressing said members firmly against the cell sides of said combs in the operation of said extractor machine.

3. In an extractor machine having a rotatably mounted frame for radially supporting honeycombs and centrifugally removing the honey therefrom in the operation of said machine:

standards for each comb in said extractor machine and said standards supported by said frame; said standards aligned with said combs straddling the corresponding comb; said members hinged to said standards for movement in and away from the cell sides of said combs; and cranks connected to said perforated members through said hinges and connecting with the outer edges of said combs to close said perforated members against the cell sides of said combs unoperation of said extractor machine.

4. In an extractor machine having a rotatably mounted frame for radially supporting honey combs and centrifugally removing the ,honey therefrom in the operation of said machine: L

shaped standards carried by. said frame; each standard aligned with a comb in said extractor machine and having a channel on the lower end of the L to receive said comb; bearings carried by said standards for rotatably hinging a pair of wire mesh gateswhich straddle the combs and swing in and away from the cell sides thereof; cranks connected 'to said gates, through said hinges, and for contact with the outer edges of said combs, to close said; gates against the cell sides of said combs under the centrifugal pressure of said combs in the operation of said extractor machine.

5. In an extractor machine wherein honey combs are radially carried in a revolvably mounted drum and the honey removed therefrom by centrifugal force: means for preventing comb breakage in said extractor machine comprising; L shaped standards for each combcarried by said drum; said standards mounted in connected sections; said sections being releasably fastened together for retention and alignment in said extractor machine; each standard aligned with the corresponding comb and having a channel memher on the lower end of the L to receive the comb; bearings carried by said standards for rotatably hinging a pair of wire mesh gates which straddle the combs and swing in and away from the cell sides thereof; cranks connected to said gates, through said hinges, and for contact with the outer edges of said combs under the centrifugal pressure of said combs in the operation of said extractor machine.

JOHN J. MAENDEL. 

